Broad coke oven with tar preheater



Nov. 1, 1949. c. H. HUGHES 2,486,413

BROAD COKE OVEN WITH TAR PREHEATER Filed Aug. 31, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n. 7 0 INVENTOR.

. GHARLESHHL/gl-IES' rah/v EY Patented Nov. 1, 1949 2.486.413 'BnoAn COKE oven wrrn ran ramm'rnn Charles H. Hughes, Glen Ridge, J assignor to Hughes By-Product Coke Oven Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 31, 1945, Serial No. 613,810 I 15 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to by-product coke ovens and more particularly to by-product coke ovens of the broad rectangular type for coking tarry matters of all kinds including coal tar, oil tar and pitch. The invention particularly contemplates the provision of a novel by-prod-uct chines of such gas plants. The coke may also be used as domestic fuel and oil or other valuable constituents contained in the tar may be recovered as by-products.

Essentially, the present invention includes the use of a by-product coke oven of the broad rectangular type in combination with elevated brickencasedtanks located above and at one side of the oven into which the tar from the water gas plant is pumped, and from which the tar is fed into the by-product coke oven. The coke oven is so designed and located with respect to the tar-containing tanks and the heating system therefor that the hot waste gas from the ovenfioor heating system is conducted upward through brick flues and is caused to circulate in such a manner as to heat the tanks and raise the temperature of the tar in the tanks, so as to evaporate the moisture in the tar and to vaporize oil or other valuable low-boiling by-products contained in the tar. Since the sensible heat of the waste gas is utilized to heat the tar tanks, no additional heat-conserving means, such as regenerators or recuperators, are provided for heating air or preheating the same in connection with the combustion under the oven floor for furnishing heat thereto. 1

It is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost broad oven of simple design and of medium width and length in which tarry matters and pitch can be coked, and in which the sensible heat from the waste gas used in the treat= ment of the tar to be coked may be utilized.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rectangular sole-fired coke oven having a seriesflue heating system and parallel flues interconnected to provide a uniform floor temperature, in which the flues are directly connected at one end by a flue which extends longitudinally of the oven, into which the hotwaste gas from all the oven heating flues is passed.

In the flue heating system above referred to. each heating flue is provided with a burner and with means for supplying rich fuel gas, or tar,

nections:

2 or other suitable combustible material to the burner. The burners are preferably located at the opposite ends of parallel heating flues.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a by-product coke oven which includes a heating fluesy'stem comprising short parallel cross-oven heating flues provided with openings or cross-flues through the walls separating ad jacent heating flues, each cross-flue being connected with the longitudinal flue into which all waste gas enters before traveling upwardly through vertical flues to the brick enclosure surrounding each of the tar tanks.

It is also within the contemplation of the invention to provide a broad by-product coke oven for coking tar, pitch, or the like, having valved means for charging the liquid from the tar treatment tanks through supply' pipes into the coke oven for further treatment.

Other objects of the invention andadvantages thereof will be apparent from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the coking oven and tar heat-treating tanks of the invention, illustrating the combination thereof and the preferred manner of connecting the flues and superimposed furnaces;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation showing the discharge end of the tar tanks, with a side view of the coking oven, and showing various pipe con- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the section line 3-3 of Fig. 4-, showing the brick setting for the tar tanks, together with the interconnecting vertical hot waste-gas flue and gas vent from the oven into the hot waste-gas flue, or to the by-product apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the section line t4 of Fig. 3 through the furnaces and oven, showing the heating flues as interconnected, to provide a free circulation of the hot waste-gases under the entire floor area of the coking oven;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the section line 5-5 of Fig. 3, showing the tar still furnace setting and associated flues through which hot waste gas is conducted from the coke oven heating flues to the tar still furnaces;

Fig.-6 is a. horizontal sectional view taken on the section line 68. of Fig. 4, showing the coke oven heating flues and the longitudinal waste-gas flue and coke-oven burners;

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the section line 1-1 of Fig. 6, showing the 3 coking oven and associated heating flues, and showing also the oven floor construction, together with the vertical flue through which waste gas travels upwardly to the tar tank furnace settings;

- Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on the section line 8-8 of Fig. 6, showing the floor construction of the coking oven and the relative position of the flue burner;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the section line 9-9 of Fig. 10, showing a modified heating system having parallel 'cross-fiues connected to a longitudinal waste-gas flue, through which waste gas is conducted to the waste gas risers and to the tar tank still furnaces, also the burners at the outer end of each cross heating flue; and

Fig. 10 is a vertical cross sectional view through the coking oven and heating flues of the modifled' heating system shown in Fig. 9; taken on the, section line Ill-l of Fig. 9.

In referring to the various figures of the drawings, similar reference characters denote corresponding parts of the apparatus throughout the various figures.

Referring now to the form of apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawings, the invention comprises a rectangular coking chamber O-l which is preferably of medium width, as between 4'0" to 8'0", and a length of between 10'0" to '0", and having a flat floor Fl, which is preferably of silicon carbide material supported upon heating flue walls WI. Rich gas, or tar, or oil, or other suitable combustible'material is burned in heating flues l, 2, 3, 4 and 5, from which hot products of combustion enter a longitudinal flue Ill and flow upward through vertical flues ll into the furnace space l2 around the tar tanks TI, T Z and T3, where they contact with the relatively large area of the tanks, after which they pass to the atmosphere through the stack S (see Figs. 1 and 3).

Tar from a tar separator or tar storage tan is pumped into the tar tanks Tl TZ and T3 through pipes TP. Steam and oil vapors are formed in the tanks by the heating action of the combustion gases passing around the tanks, and leave the tar tanks through pipes VP and are led either to the by-product apparatus, or are caused to flow into the drip tanks DT through vapor pipes VP2. The flow of steam, oil vapors or condensate may be controlled by first opening valves V and then closing valves VX, or the flow may be through pipes VP, by opening valves VX and closing the valves V to the pipes VP2.

When sufficient heavy tar has been prepared for coking, valves V0 (see Figs. 1 and 2) are opened and the tar flows into the coking oven through pipes OP from any one or more of the tar tanks T-'--l, T-'-2 and T--3. It is not necessary that all three of the tar tanks be emptied simultaneously. The contentsof only one of the tanks may be charged into thecoking oven while the other two of the tanks may be in the process of being filled with tar or pitch, or while the contents of one of the tanks is being emptied into the coking oven, another tank may be in the process of being filled, and the third tank may be held in reserve to continue the supply of tar or pitch to the coke men when the first tank has been emptied;

- The vertical waste gas flues I l are each provided with a damper D3 so that all of the hot waste gas may be directed to only one tar tank heating space or furnace I2, as may be required. It will be understood from the construction that 4 each of the tar tanks can be repaired or replaced without shutting down either of the remaining tar tanks.

During the coking process in the coking oven Oi, a small volume of gas is evolved which may be vented through the passageway CH and through flue 0G to the atmosphere, or taken to the by-product apparatus; or if'desired it may be conducted through flue OG-l, into the vertical waste-gas flues Ii where it is burned. In this manner, the additional sensible heat is used for heat treating the tar in the tar tanks Tl, T-2 and T-3. In order to deflect the flow of oven gas into the gas flues II through the flue OGI, a damper D2 is opened and a damper D-i in the passageway OG'+2 is closed (see Fig. 3) or .to direct the flow in the opposite direction into the flue 0G, the damper D2 is closed and the damper D--! is opened. At times, the temperature of the waste gas entering the flue ll may be too high,

and may be reduced by opening the damper D-l, permitting air from the outside of the structure to enter the vertical flue or flues ll.

Vapor from the drip tanks DT may be vented through pipe A to the atmosphere, or it may be conducted to the waste-gas stack S, as desired.

Referring more specifically to Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, it will be observed that the heating flues I, 2, 3', 4 and 5 of the heating flue system under the flat oven floor Fl are arranged to discharge waste gases into a common waste-gas flue Ill disposed longitudinally of the oven O-l, so that no waste gas flue will be located at either end and outside of the coking oven to interfere with the pushing or raking of the coke from the oven during the operation thereof.

Referring to the modified heating fiue'system shown in Figs. 9 and 10, each cross-heating flue I, 2', 3', l, 5', 6, I, 8' and 9' is interconnected with the adjoining heating flue by means of a. plurality of interconnecting ports F0 through the walls WI extending between and separating adjoining cross-heating flues, the arrangement of cross-heating flues-and connecting ports providing for the free flow of waste gases under the entire floor area of the coking oven 0-1. This form of heating flue system is especially useful when heating and coking very thin tars, for the reason that such tars may drip through the joints between the floor tile members of the coking oven and form coke deposits in one or more of the heating flues, resulting in the decreased flow or temporary stoppage of fiow of the waste gases through the fine or flues afiected.

Under this condition, waste gas'can flow to theaflected floor area of the coking oven from adjoining heating flues through openings F0, whereby the floor area of the coking oven remains substantially uniformly heated irrespective of local clogging of any section of a flue. Each. of the cross oven heating flues isprovided with a separate gas or tar burner B as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10.

Coke which has been deposited on the floor of the cokingoven, referring to Figs. 3, 4; 7 and -10, may be removed from the oven by means of a shovel or by means of a standard pusher PM, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4, in accordance with conventional practice.

The handling of coke from the oven produces fine particles of coke called coke. breeze." This ,coke breeze may bemixed with that from other and 4) by removing the charging hole covers MC. During the coking operation, air is excluded from the coking oven by closin and luting the oven doors OD-l (see Figs. 1 and 4) and also closing to a uniform thickness, the hot tar from one or more of the tar tanks T-I, T-2 and T-'-3 is fed' into the coking oven O-l onto the floor thereof andalso in and on the coke breeze. is coked, it solidifies the mass of coke formed from the tar and the breeze into a flne'grade Asthe tar aceaua a common heating system for controlled heating in the tanks and controlled coking in the of fuel for domestic, industrial or commercial\ uses. This coke may also be used, if desired, in the generator of water gas machines.

In order to, prevent foaming of the tar in th tar tanks T-i, T-2 and T-S, which is likely to occur due to the presence of water from time to time in the tar, steam may be introduced into the tanks through the steam pipes SP (see Figs. 1 and 3) by which foaming will be quick- 1y stopped, or overcome. a

It will be understood that various changes or modifications may be made in the apparatus and method described hereinbefore, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as deflned in the annexed claims. Thus, instead of using tar and coke breeze in the coking operation, other fluid hydrocarbon masses, such as pitch, oil residue and the like, may be employed together with coal dust, anthracite fines, culm waste or other similar carbonaceous materials.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. The combination of a coking oven with a battery of tarstills for the controlled coking of tar in the coking oven which comprises a coking oven of the broad rectangular type having a floor of interlocking sections, a battery of tar stills arranged in parallel above the coking oven and transversely thereto, a separate furnace space around each 'of said tar stills, means for controllably feeding tar from each of said tar stills to said cokin oven, a heating system for the coking oven and said tar stills including a series ofheating flues below the floor of said coking oven having interconnecting 'flues through the walls separating the heating. flues to provide for the free flow of combustion gases under the entire area of the coking oven irrespective of any local clogging in any of the heating flues, a

. passageway connectin the heating flues with each of said furnace spaces around said tar stills to provide for circulation of products of combustion in said heating flues around said tar stills so as to vaporize moisture and low-boiling constituents from the tar'in said stills, means for passing the vaporized constituents from each of said stills to a drip tank, a damper in each of said passageways to independently control the passage of combustion gases to each of said tar stills, whereby hot products of combustion may be directed to the furnace space of only one of said tar stills, or to a plurality thereof as desired, thereby permitting repair or replacement of any tar still in the battery without shutting down other stills therein during the operation and means for drawing oil products vaporized from the tar in the coking oven during the coking operation.

' breadth and having a substantially flat floor of coking. oven which comprises a sole-fired coking oven of the broad rectangular type having a breadth broader than its height and a length longer than its breadth and having a substantially flat floor of refractory material, a removable and scalable door provided at each end of the oven, a heating system for the said coking oven including a plurality of brick heating flues located underneath the sole of said coking oven to provide forthe free flow of hot combustion gases and to provide substantially uniform heating under substantially the entire area of the floor of said oven, a plurality of burners mounted in said heating system to provide hot products of combustion for said oven and said tanks, a common waste gas flue connected to the said heating system and extending along one side of said oven, a battery of elevated tanks for'fluid hydrocarbon masses arranged in -parallel above and at one side of the coking oven and extending transversely thereto, a brick furnace setting operatively associated with each of said tanks, a brick wall associated with the front of each furnace setting and with the side of the coking oven and in alignment with the common waste gas flue of said oven, a brick riser flue extending upwardly from said common waste gas flue to each furnace setting and incorporated in the said wall associated with the front of said furnace and the side of said coking oven, each riser flue carrying the hot products of combustion from saidheating system to each furnace setting to provide circulation of said hot products of combustion under and around saidtanks to heat the fluid hydrocarbon masses in said tanks and to "furnace of only one of said tanks or to a plurality thereof as desired thereby permitting the discharging of one to the coking oven, the heating of another, or the filling of another with fluid hydrocarbon masses and also permitting the repair or replacement of any tank in the battery without shutting down any other tank therein during the heating and coking operation. means for removing the vaporized moisture and low-boiling constituents from each of said tanks, means for gravity feeding said heated fluid hydrocarbon masses from each of said elevated tanks to said coking oven, and means for controlling said gravity feeding to said coking oven.

3. The combination of a refractory coking oven with a brick-encased battery of st lls with a common heating system for controlled heating in the stills and controlled cokin in the coking oven which comprises a sole-fired coking oven of the broad rectangular type having a breadth broader than its height and a length longer than its refractory material, a battery of elevated brickencased stills for fluid hydrocarbon masses arrangedin parallel above and at one side of the coking oven and extending transversely thereto, a separate furnace around each of said stills having a front brick wall in alignment with and supported by the side wall of said oven, means for gravity feeding said heated fluid hydrocarbon masses from each of said elevated stills to said 27 coking oven, means for controlling said gravity feeding to said coking oven, a common heating system for the said coking oven and said stills including a pluralityof brick heating flues located underneath the sole of said coking oven to provide for a free flow of hot combustion'gases under substantially the entire area of the coking oven and to provide substantially uniform heating of the floor of said oven, 9. common waste gas flue connecting the heating flues with each of said furnaces around said stills to provide for circulation of hot products of combustion coming from said heating flues and flowing around said stills to vaporize moisture and low-boiling constituents from the fluid hydrocarbon masses in said stills and to heat the residue, means for removing the vaporized constituents from each of said stills, a brick riser flue extending downwardly from each furnace to said common waste gas flue and incorporated in the front wall of said furnace and the side of said coking oven, and a damper in each brick riser flue to independently control the passage of hot combustion gases to each of said stills whereby hot products of combustion can be directed to the furnace of only one of said stills or to a plurality thereof as desired thereby permitting the discharging of one to the coking oven, the heating of another, or the filling of another with fluid hydrocarbon masses and also permitting the repair or replacement of any still in the battery without shutting down any other still therein during the heating and coking operation.

4. The combination of a coking oven with a battery of stills with a common heatng system for controlled heating in the stills and controlled coking in the coking oven which comprises a sole-fired coking oven of the broad rectangular type having a floor of refractory material, a battery of stills for fluid hydrocarbon masses arranged in parallel above the coking oven and extending transversely thereto, a separate furnace around each of said stills, means for controllably feeding heated fluid hydrocarbon masses from each of said stills to said coking oven, a common heating system for the said coking oven and the said stills including a plurality of heating flues underneath the floor of the said coking oven to provide for a free flow of hot combustion gases and to provide for substantially uniformheating under substantially the entire area of the said floor, a common waste gas flue connecting the said heating flues with each furnace around a still to provide for circulation of hot products of combustion comin from said heating flues and flowing under and around each of said stills to vaporize moisture and low-boiling constituents and to heat the residue in each of said stills, means for removing the vaporized moisture and constituents from each of said stills, a plurality of hot waste gas risers connecting said common waste gas flue with each furnace, and a damper in each of said hot waste gas risers to independently control the passage of hot combustion gases to each of .said stills whereby hot products of combustion can be directed to the furnace of only one of said stills or to a plurality thereof as desired thereby permitting the discharging of one tothe coking oven, the heating of another, or the filling of another with fluid hydrocarbon masses and also permitting the repair or replace- '8 which the heating system is provided with a plurality of fines in series.

6. The combination 'set forth in claim 2 in which the heating system is provided with a plurality of flues in parallel.

7. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which each gas riser flue is provided with an air ,inlet to permit the introduction of air' to reduce the temperature if too hot or to burn any-uncombusted fuel.

8. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which each gas riser flue is provided with a valved outlet from the coking oven to permit the passage of gases and vapors fromthe oven to each riser flue.

9. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which a single foundation is provided under the coking oven and the tanks for the support thereof.

10. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the tanks project over the coking oven to facilitate the gravity flow from each tank to the oven.

11. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the fioorof the coking oven is made of silicon carbide.

12. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which baiiles are arranged around each of the tanks to provide a circuitouspath for the hot combustion gases coming from each heating system of the coking oven and going to a stack.

13. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which charging means are provided in the top of the coking oven for the introduction of combustible carbonaceous. material including coke breeze, coal dust, and anthracite fines.

14. The combination of a refractory coking oven with a brick-encased battery of stills with a common heating system of refractory construction for controlled heating in the stills and controlled coking in the coking oven which comprises a refractory, sole-fired coking oven of the broad rectangular type having a breadth broader than its height and a length longer than its breadth and having a substantially flat floor of refractory material, charging means in the top of said refractory coking oven for introducing solid combustible carbonaceous material including coke breeze, coal dust, and anthracite fines. means for drawing on products vaporized from material in the refractory coking oven during the coking operation, a battery of elevated brickencased stills for fluid hydrocarbon masses of the group consisting of tar, oil residue, and pitch, said stills being arranged in parallel above and at one side of the refractory coking oven and extending transversely thereto, a separatS refractory furnace around each of said stills having a front brick wall in alignment with and supported by the -side wall of said oven, means 7 for gravity feeding said fluid hydrocarbon masses ment of any still in the battery without shutting down any other still during the heating and coking operation.

5. The combination set forth in claim 2 in furnaces around said stills to provide for circulation of the hot products of combustion coming from said heating fines and flowing around said stills to vaporize moisture and low-boilin constituents from the fluid hydrocarbon masses in said stills and to heat the residue, means for removing the vaporized moisture and constituents from each of said stills, a brick riser flue extending downwardly from each furnace to said common waste gas flue and incorporated in the front wall of said furnace and the side of said coking oven, a damper in each brick riser flue to independently control the passage of hot combustion gases to each of said stills whereby hot products of combustion can be directed to the furnace of only one of said stills or to a plurality thereof as desired thereby permitting the discharging of one to the coking oven, the heating of another, or the filling of another with fluid hydrocarbon masses and also permitting the repair or replacement of any still in the battery without shutting down any other still therein during the heating and coking operation, and a stack operatively associated with said furnaces for leading the products of combustion to the atmosphere after passing in contact with said stills and heating the same.

15. In combination, a sole-fired refractory coking oven of the broad rectangular type having a refractory heating system underneath the same to provide substantially uniform heat at high coking temperatures under substantially the entire area of a refractory floor of said oven, a

plurality of elevated tanks for fluid hydrocarbon masses arranged in parallel above and extending transversely to one side of saidoven, brick furnace setting encasing said tanks, a vertical brick riser flue of relatively large area extend- 10 ing downwardly from each furnace setting' to the heating system of said coking oven to. permit hot gases fromsaid heating system to rise vertically and freely to said furnace setting, and a damper in each brick riser flue to independently control the passage of hot combustion gases to each of said tanks whereby hot products of combustion can be directed to the furnace of only one of said tanks or to a plurality thereof as desired thereby permitting the discharging of one to the coking oven, the heating of another, or the filling of another with fluid hydrocarbon masses and also permitting the repair or replacement of any tank in the battery without shutting down any other tank during the heating and coking operation.

. CHARLES H. HUGHES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hughes Feb. 2, 1943 

